Evicted WWII vet buys house back with community help

For World War II veteran Johnnie Hodges, Sr., being able to repurchase his home after having been evicted in July 2015 was nothing short of remarkable.

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Nov 10, 2015

For World War II veteran Johnnie Hodges, Sr., being able to repurchase his home after having been evicted in July 2015 was nothing short of remarkable.

According to WKBW, Hodges was forcibly removed from his home of 60 plus years after becoming extremely delinquent on loan payments while caring for his wife, Flora, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. She passed last year.

After a photo surfaced of the 90-year-old veteran being stripped from his home on a stretcher, his community rushed to his aide, figuring out what they needed to do in order to rectify the situation.

Greg Elwood, a local businessman, set up a GoFundMe account that raised more than $110,000 from over 2,000 donators. Using those funds, along with assistance from Congressman Brian Higgins and HUD, Hodges was able to buy his home and implement a plan to make repairs as needed.

“I am so grateful that I am back to stay. And I am never leaving again!” said Hodges. A large ribbon-cutting ceremony greeted Hodges upon his return, with neighbors, local politicians, fellow veterans and other notables in attendance.

According to his daughter, Robin Hodges, her loving father insisted on personally caring for his wife. The bank responsible for foreclosing on Hodges, M&T Bank, even tried finding a solution to the past-due payments. Robin claimed that the problem was hidden from her and her siblings, and by the time they found out, it was already too late.

M&T Bank shared that they did try repeatedly to aid Hodges without resulting in eviction, but he refused to cooperate.

“It didn’t matter to him because all that mattered was caring for my mother,” added Robin Hodges.